The Families of Superheroes
by Mezzosopranogirl
Summary: Futurefic. Could be considered AU. The first children of Spitfire, Chalant, Supermartian and AquaRocket. No particular order. First up, Jayden West. Joseph and Julia Kent come in second. Now up to Mary Jo Grayson. Warning: Chapter four is not who you think! T because I'm slightly paranoid.
1. Artemis and Wally

Chapter 1: Artemis and Wally

She doesn't know if she wants it to be positive or not. On one hand, she and Wally have been married two years, and they aren't kids any more. They've always talked about them, and he loves the idea if a family. On the other, her own mother wasn't the best example, and her sister was also less than ideal at motherhood, so what did that say about her potential at it? She didn't feel _ready _for a kid. And if her dad takes an interest….. No, she couldn't think like that. Her timer went off, and she looked.

_ Positive._

Whoa. She's going to be a _mom. _She's caught in a whirlwind of emotions right now. Happy, nervous, out-right scared, but mostly complete and utter surprise. She checks again. If anything, the plus sign is clearer. _Okay_, she thinks, taking a deep breath. _How do I tell Wally? _

Wally, you know how you've always wanted kids? No.

Babe, I'm pregnant. No.

Artemis sighed. She'd figure it out. Right now, she needed to start on dinner. She turned around to find her husband staring at her, and she just holds the test out wordlessly. He takes it, glances at it, and then looks up at her. She sees some of the emotions she's feeling in his eyes, but he looks so _happy_. She smiles at him.

"We're going to be parents?" he asks. She can't resist making a comment.

"Yes Baywatch, that's what the plus sign means" He smiles at the old nickname, and puts the test on the counter. They both take another look, but the plus sign hasn't changed.

"You should probably see a doctor, just to be sure, I mean it's a small chance… and we should look at getting a house..." he trails off, seeing her expression.

"Are you alright?"

"What if I can't do it?" she whispers.

"Do what?"

"Be a mom. I didn't exactly have the best examples."

"Hey, you'll be great." Wally tells her, wrapping his arms around her. It's a sweet moment until his stomach growls. She smiles, twisting out of his grip, and goes to fix dinner.

* * *

When they announce it to the team, M'Gann squeals (causing Conner to wince), Zatanna pulls her into a hug, and Raquel's got this grin that's a mile wide. The guys are all slapping Wally's back grinning. They've lost count by now of all the "Congratulations" from his family, from her mom, from Ollie and Dinah and now the team. M'Gann starts chattering on about baby shower plans and Conner puts a hand on her arm to quiet her.

"Oh, this is just so wonderful," she gushes. As they turn around, they see Batman standing there, and he's – dear Lord, he's _smiling_.

"Congratulations. I assume you'll want to be taken off active duty?" Artemis nods, and still smiling, he leaves, the Zeta tube announcing his departure. Everyone except Dick is still in shock, so, still being a troll at heart, he takes a picture.

* * *

They're both a little nervous at the first ultrasound. The technician, a nice old lady named Clara, gives them a reassuring smile as she powers up the machine.

"Alright, here's the head, and there's a foot. Would you like to know the gender?" They glance at each other.

"Sure" Artemis says, and Clara swivels the device a little bit.

"Congratulations, it's a boy." She tells them, and turns the machine off, handing Artemis a towel to wipe the ultrasound goo off.

"Guess that means we'll be painting in blue," She says as they drive to their new house.

"Yup," he tells her, and they sit in comfortable silence all the way home.

* * *

After twelve hours of labor, his hand almost being broken several times and a variety of swears in four languages, Wally finally gets to hold his son. Jayden West has his hair and Artemis' eyes. He looks over at his wife, who is sleeping, and can't help but smile. Wally feels so proud as he looks at his tiny son, eight pounds seven ounces at birth, when his uncle Barry comes in with Iris and their kids, Don and Dawn. He grins at the retired Flash and Iris.

"Hey guys, come meet Jayden," He says, standing very carefully. They coo and hold him and joke that he's the _third_ cutest baby they've ever seen. Don doesn't really see what the big fuss is, but Dawn absolutely _loves _her new cousin.

"Can I hold him?" she asks, her voice really quiet. They make her sit down first, but they let her. Artemis groans as she starts to wake up, and Wally and Iris are at her side instantly.

"How do you feel?" Iris asks.

"Like I just gave birth," Iris laughs.

"At least it wasn't twins" she tells Artemis.

Barry comes up and hands Jayden to her. She smiles down at the sleeping boy. After a few more minutes, the Allens leave, and it's just the parents.

"We make a good looking kid huh?" Wally says.

"Yeah. We do." She smiles. Careful not to squish Jayden, Wally gives Artemis a quick peck on the lips. They have a family.

* * *

When they get home, there's a constant stream of visitors for the first two weeks. If M'Gann and Conner aren't there, fussing over Jayden or talking to Wally respectively, it's Dick and Zatanna helping around the house, or Ollie and Dinah, who seem hell-bent on spoiling Jayden to their fullest extent, or Kaldur and Raquel, offering sage advice and funny commentary on kids alternatively, or the proud grandparents, then it's another random leaguer expressing their congratulations. There was also one visit from her sister, but Jade just leaves a stuffed Cheshire cat on the window of the nursery, and that's all they see of her. But finally they get a little peace and quiet.

* * *

Jayden will only fall asleep if someone sings to him, so Artemis has started to sing the old Vietnamese lullabies from her childhood. He's a sweet little kid, and everyone loves him.

He starts running at only eighteen months old, and she has no doubt Jayden's a speedster. But for now, she can catch him. When he gets a little older though, only Wally or another speedster can get him. They have a long talk before his first day of school about not going too fast. When he's ten he breaks the sound barrier, which leaves Don a little jealous, because he was twelve before he could. He tends to speed through life. But there are times he slows down.

Like now, as she watches him cross the stage to get his diploma. He's been accepted at their alma mater, Stanford, as well as other great schools. But he picks Stanford, and is majoring in Genetics. Artemis and Wally are so proud, and they tell him so after the ceremony. Their two other kids, Iris and Ritchie, are just glad that graduation is over so they can have cake. As they walk to the car, no one would think that there were several superheroes/ heroes-in-training in that family. And that's just what they want you to think.

* * *

When Jayden becomes the Flash, it's a big hullabaloo at the watchtower. Don, now Impulse, claps him on the back, and everyone is smiling. All the people he's grown up with as uncles, aunts and cousins are there, and the joy in his eyes as he takes the costume ring is just as clear as that little plus sign all those years ago, Artemis thinks. She tears up a little, but that's expected. That's what being a mom means. That you cry when they grow up, no matter how happy you are.


	2. Conner and M'Gann

Chapter Two: Conner and M'Gann

When they get married, they know they can't have kids. Martians and Kryptonians are too different, and M'Gann's shape-shifting doesn't extend that far, even if there was a Kryptonian female she could model off. But they love each other, and their happy just to be together after all the drama they've been through, like those five years when he couldn't age, before Wally found the "cure" to that. Or that phase when her powers were too much to contain inside her and she resorted to putting people, albeit bad guys, in catatonic states. They've survived all that, come out on top, so surely they can handle this. Right?

Then their friends start having kids. Conner sees the longing in her eyes as she coos over all the babies, and he admits, he'd like a family too. But there's just no way. At his civilian job, as a counselor for anger management (ironic, he knows, but who better to help?), a coworker sees he's down. Ben is his best friend outside of the hero biz, and has a good head on his shoulders.

"What's got you down, Kent?" he asks, casually. So Conner tells him that his wife has been hit with baby fever from their friends' kids, and explains that he has "a genetic disease" that makes it so they can't have kids. Ben thinks for a minute, then smiles.

"Why not adopt?" Even with all the information Cadmus put in him and everything he's learned since, he didn't think of that. Neither did she.

"Thanks, Ben. Well, back to work. The angry never rest." he jokes lightly, while walking off do deal with "Alexandria Summers" who is provoked every time she sees red hair. Unfortunately, she's a redhead.

* * *

"Adoption?" Though she's lost her naive streak, there are times he still sees her look just as confused as when Dick and Wally explained rap music, complete with demonstration. That's not the same as now, though.

"Conner, we're both superheroes. What if something happens to us, they'd have lost _two _sets of parents. Or if we don't tell them, how would we explain why they don't have super strength, or telekinesis, or any sort of power at all? What if they want to follow us into the job?"

He was obviously wrong about thinking she hadn't thought of this. The problem is, she brings up good points. Along with her naive streak, her 50's sitcom mindset has gone too, and she's _nobody's_ housewife. She became a lawyer, graduated top of her class. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was win an debate, and sway them to her side. She didn't even need her telepathy. _That _was scary.

"Of course we would tell them. And if they _did _want to be heroes, we ask Dick to train them. We keep them safe until they're ready. And I can't promise that nothing would happen to us, but I can promise that if something did, our friends, heck, the entire league would raise them. And I can't think of a better family. Can you?" He's pretty good at debating, too. Talking down people in rages does that.

"No," but she's smiling, and this has become the best kind of debate, where everyone wins and both are completely happy.

* * *

The matron of the Orphanage looks at the young couple before her. Conner and Megan Kent have a certain ease about them, like everything the world throws at them means nothing if they have each other. Almost all of the people who go though the adoption process are wonderful individuals, but she can spot good and bad parents a mile away. They're definitely going to be great. She leads them to the nursery, always the first stop. In this job, you work on feelings, and she has always told prospective parents to "go for the kid that feels right". They take her advice to heart, going from crib to crib, occasionally picking one up and rocking them. But none are the right "fit" for this family, they all know it. Then they see what she had hoped they wouldn't, two cribs that are separated from the others. They walk over to see a pair of twins, a little girl with black hair and eyes that are startlingly close to Mrs. Kent's, and her twin, a boy with blue eyes and the same hair as his sister.

"Why are these two separated from the others?" Mrs. Kent asks softly. That's the question she dreads whenever parents see the twins. The matron sighs.

"All children who enter the system are tested for genetic disease. Recently, they've found a way to estimate probability of meta-human power manifest. These two have ha 95% chance of developing the powers of flight and super strength. Both of them. Unfortunately, most parents won't take one meta child, much less twins." It's sad. She's seen a few meta children in her time here, like a young girl with ice powers. No one would adopt her. She fell out of the system, and judging from the look of one "Killer Frost" had turned to villainy.

The young couple looks at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation. Then in perfect unison, they say "We'd like to adopt them."

They did, in fact have a silent conversation.

_It's like their _meant _to be our kids, _M'Gann tells him. He agrees. He's never believed in a higher power (He's a Kryptonian-Human hybrid grown in a lab, and apart from a basic understanding, the genomorphs didn't really teach him about religion, sue him) but something definitely feels right about the idea of adopting the twins.

The matron is surprised to say the least. That they would be so willing to take in children who will most likely have superpowers. But she can tell, by her gut feelings, that these two are the best parents Joseph and Julia could ask for, so she smiles and leads them to the office to start the paperwork.

(Later, as a precaution, M'Gann is forced to go back and change her memories, and Dick [repaying a favor to Conner] hacks the system. As far as the public knows, the twins have a 15% chance of presenting as meta humans.)

* * *

There's a big party at Mount Justice to welcome Joseph and Julia to the crazy "family" that is the Justice League. They've already had a quieter gathering to welcome them to the Kent family on the farm, but their Uncle Clark is still there, grinning and making sure that the happy parents aren't _too _crowded at once. Batman's got one of those smiles that tend to throw people off more than his glares, but its toned down a bit, so no one faints. The freshman are there too, and Cassie coos at them like she's never seen a baby before. L'gann is absent, having left the team after it was revealed that everyone only put up with him because they liked M'Gann. Last they heard, he had returned to his hometown and agreed to an arranged marriage (which was not common in most of Atlantis, but his hometown was...old fashioned). But everyone from Robin to Blue Beetle is there. Gar had come to the small gathering before, but had to be off world during the party. Apparently Rann's creatures were suffering from some disease. Following in the footsteps of his mother (a bit more _unconventionally, _but still), he became an veterinarian, as well as an avid animal rights activist both here and on a intergalactic level.

* * *

After all the initial fuss from their civilian friends and neighbors (they live in the suburbs of Metropolis) as well, the last thing they want is another visitor, even if it is Clark. But they let him in with a smile, he absolutely _dotes_ on the kids, and they don't mind a little break. He's looking at them when Conner comes in.

"Have you thought about giving them Kryptonian names?"

He has. They both agree; just because they aren't technically Kryptonians, that doesn't mean they can't uphold the values of the House of El. So Joseph, becomes Jor-El, after his grandfather, and Julia is Jule Kon-El.

A week later, Supergirl (Kara) shows up, and (after all the crazy from a new Kryptonian appearing) agrees that they definitely are worthy. They're not sure if her agreeing is good or not.

* * *

The twins grow up with all the love the Justice League and Team can provide, dozens of Aunts, Uncles and cousins, not to mention they get the Kents for grandparents. There is always someone to teach them a new aerial trick or to spot them as they bench press impossible (for normal people) amounts of weight, teach them how to defend themselves or just help them (try to) sneak a few illegal sweets past M'Gann's "mom" eyes. At twelve, they finally are allowed to start working with their parents and Uncle Clark in Metropolis. They join the newest incarnation of the Team a few months later. It's all going a little too fast for M'Gann and Conner's taste, but as they watch the Super twins (calling each other Jule and Jor when they need to be identified) take down their first bad guys, and the looks on their faces afterwards, they think it might not be so bad. And the looks on the idiots faces when the Kryptonite didn't work? Absolutely priceless.

* * *

When people hear "twins" they think that the two are completely alike in every way possible. Sometimes, that's correct. Julia and Joseph? No way.

They have some similarities. They both love the hero life and will continue into adulthood, everyone is sure of that. They also have their parents ability to hold the team together with compassion and loyalty. They take their adopted heritage gladly. You can catch them watching the history channel together once in a blue moon. But everything else is different.

Julia is as sweet as her mother, but she also is a bit of a tomboy. She runs track (any other sport wouldn't be fair with her strength) and has her father's gift for tactics. She's also one of the best fliers (insert joke here) on her cheer squad. She's closest to her "aunt" Dinah.

Joseph is a brilliant student, and just a bit more serious than his sister about the hero part of his life. He's better at hand to hand combat, Julia is better a stealth. He likes to lift weights in his free time, usually at the Cave so no one questions the amount. He and "Uncle Dick" are thick as thieves.

* * *

When the twins graduate, there's another big celebration, but at the Watchtower this time. M'Gann tears up a bit when Joseph announces he's going to her old Law school, and Conner smiles when Julia tells them her major is psychology.

* * *

After Both Clark and Conner have retired, Joseph becomes the next Superman. Kara grows up and becomes "Superwoman" instead, so Julia takes up her old mantle of Supergirl. M'Gann takes care of other cities, letting the Super family handle their home turf.

* * *

A little more than a century later, M'Gann tells this story to her great great grandchildren, and teaches them what it really means when you have three names; that there are three legacies to uphold.


	3. Dick and Zatanna

Chapter Three: Zatanna and Dick

She's been throwing up almost every morning for the past week. And she's starting to think it's not a cold. But honestly the test is just in case, she couldn't possibly be...

Never mind. There's the plus sign.

"Dick!" Zatanna Grayson yelled.

He runs in, half dressed and still blurry eyed, but ready to fight if someone is attacking. He looks confused when there's no assassin in the bathroom, but then he sees the test.

"Zee?" he asks.

"I'm... pregnant," she tells him. She sounds scared. He understands. They've only been married for six months, and neither of them have brought up kids yet. He hasn't even really _thought_ of kids yet. But now that fatherhood is staring him in the face, he finds he's happy. Very happy. A grin splits across his face.

"This is great!" he exclaims. Seeing him so happy makes Zatanna smile too. So, just like with their first kiss, she grabs his shoulder and plants her lips on his.

* * *

Everyone on the Team is so busy, they have to tell them separately. M'Gann and Conner are tied up with paperwork to become eligible to adopt and a new gang in their city. Artemis is pregnant with her second child and Wally is swamped with cases in both identities. Raquel and Kaldur just got back from dealing with a purist riot in Poseidonis. But all give them a hearty congratulations.

They tell Dick's family at a small brunch party they were having at the manor anyway. Zatanna is enveloped in a huge hug from both her sisters-and-mother-in-law at once, and she see's her husband getting big claps on the back from the boys, even Damian, who seems to have let his "I-hate-the-world" personality drop, if only for the moment (Zatanna's glad, because ever since Bruce married Diana, he's been extra sulky, even if Diana is the best of stepmothers to him).

They can't tell her father, but he finds out anyway with out their knowing. Fate doesn't usually go in the lounge at the Watchtower, but he walks by it often. Zatarra can hear everything Nabu does. A snippet of a conversation between Black Canary and Wonder Woman comes out as they pass.

"I never thought I'd become a grandmother only a few years after becoming a mother-well stepmother, as Damian keeps reminding me." Wonder Woman says, a little sadly.

"I'm sure he'll come around. And Zatanna's going to be a great mom, isn't she. I mean..." The rest is lost as Fate walks out of earshot, but Zatarra has enough to think about already. He knew that Nabu made him miss his own daughter's wedding, but now he was going to miss out on his first grandchild, and possibly any others he might have. Never had he resented Nabu more.

* * *

"Katie?"

"No. Julian?"

"No. Cameron?"

"No. Lilly?" Finding the perfect name for their unborn child was _hard. _Especially when they had decided to be surprised about the gender. Dick is nervous about suggesting what he wants to do; name them after his parents. But she beats him to it.

"What if we named them after your parents?" She asks, cautiously.

"So, Mary for a girl and John for a boy?"

"Actually, I was thinking of using both for a girls name."

"Mary John?"

"No, but Mary Jo sounds nice. And for a boy, John Giovanni."

"That sounds perfect," He tosses the baby name book into the trash, a perfect three-pointer.

* * *

Mary Jo Grayson is seven pounds, five ounces at birth. She has a tiny mop of black hair, and the universe has decided that she has Giovanni's eyes. She's tiny and perfect, and the entire family is absolutely _fawning_ over her. Diana is already calling her "little warrior" after she slapped a nurse in the face (it hadn't hurt her, but the look of surprise on the woman's face was priceless). Bruce was a little clumsy when he first held her, because for all his experience as a dad, holding a baby is something he hasn't really done. All her aunts and uncles stop by, but most have school or hero stuff to do. They catch Damian smiling at her when he thinks no one else is looking, and lightly rib him about becoming human.

Zatanna teared up a bit when she first saw her daughter's eyes, but Dick wiped them away and jokes about who's hair she got (That shade is definitely closer to mine), so she feels better.

* * *

There's an article about Mary Jo's birth in almost every gossip magazine they see for the next week. Lois Lane-Kent's is the best, of course, but they paste all of them in the baby book M'Gann got them. Lois tells them later that she's sorry for the article, but otherwise it was going to be Rita Myers, who never has anything good to say about _anything_. They tell her they don't mind, and there's a framed copy in the living room. There is one line they love the most.

_Honoring Richard's parents with her name, Mary Jo Grayson is sure to go far with her guardian angels._

* * *

She catches him singing and talking to Mary Jo in Rommani often. She speaks it fairly well, and sometimes will join in the songs she knows. They decided early that their kids will get the best of all the cultures they come from.

By the time she's two (she's got her father's brains), she speaks both English and Rommani fluently.

* * *

They figure out that she can do magic around 18 months when she says "_Rotiți purpuriu de păr _(Turn hair purple)" and her hair turns violet. After that, they have to magic proof the cupboards because she also knows "_deschide_ (open),".

"I honestly thought it would take a few more years for her magic to show. She's a prodigy," Zatanna tells him that night.

"I thought she might be, with your magic plus my mom's gypsy heritage," He says, turning out the lamp as he leaves to go on patrol.

When he comes back, Mary Jo's learned a new word. "_pluti_", or float, and spends the next hour trying to get her off the ceiling and back to sleep.

* * *

It's at her second birthday party Mary Jo meets her other grandfather. They all are a little shocked when Dr. Fate walks into the decorated cave, looks around at the people staring at him, and removes the helmet.

Mary Jo, in all her two-year-old glory, breaks the silence first, tugging on her daddy's pant leg and asking "_Tati_, who that?"

"That's your other grandpa, sweetie," hearing this, Mary Jo runs up to him, then, in an unusual bout of shyness, quietly says "Hi."

Giovanni smiles and kneels down, looking into her eyes, so like his own.

"Hello, little one," he says and she hugs him. Zatanna has tears in her eyes as she embraces her father next.

"_mamă_, why you crying?"

"I'm just happy, honey."

* * *

They get called to the office after school one day when Mary Jo is seven. This isn't the first time she's gotten in trouble (using the swings as a balance beam, somersaulting over other students, and "somehow" replacing her teacher's apple for a doughnut tends to be frowned upon). But they've never been asked to come in before.

"Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, your daughter is out of control." The principal tells them sternly. Mary Jo is sitting in a chair between them, head down.

"What happened?" Dick asks.

"She was involved in a fight." This surprised the couple. They were prepared for a random prank, some magic they'd have to explain away, maybe a hacking incident.

"Apparently, she believes punching another student is acceptable. The boy is going home with a black eye." She continues.

"Did you ask her to explain what happened?" Zatanna asked.

"No. It was fairly obvious that Mary Jo was the instigator."

"I was not!" Mary Jo suddenly spoke up, angry. "He was ripping up Millie's teddy, and Ms. Kale wasn't doing anything!"

The Graysons look at Principal Clemens. She seems surprised by this new information. She's prevented from saying anything by the parents of the other child coming in.

"What do you think you're teaching your daughter, punching my son like that?" The man demands.

"I taught her to stand up for herself and the people she cares about. Your son was harassing her friend, ripping up her teddy bear. What are _you_ teaching him, that he thinks that's OK?" Dick asks, angry.

"How do you intend to punish her?" he says, ignoring the question.

"Me? Ice cream and a movie." This stuns everyone except Zatanna. Mary Jo quietly asks her mother, "Can we get Millie a new teddy, too?"

"Of course we can," Zatanna tells her, and the Graysons walk out of the office, leaving two stunned parents and a principal who asks them to sit down to  
"discuss your son's behavior as well"

Later, they tell her not to fight at school, but her grandmother tells her "atta girl" so she knows she's not really in trouble.

* * *

At the tender age of nine, she demands to come on patrol with her father, wearing a small version of Zatanna's uniform, but with full pants(tights) and a domino mask. Dick and Zatanna put their feet down, but when she turns the puppy-dog eyes on them, they relent, but they make her wait a week (they don't tell her, but they use that time to make sure the worst of their villains are locked up by then). To say her best friend Iris West is jealous is an understatement.

The first spell she uses to take down a bad guy is "_cravată-l cu frânghie_ (tie him up with rope)". He couldn't be prouder as it works, the ropes binding the mugger tightly. She also takes down a few with out any magic, which makes her dad happy. When they get home, careful not to wake up four-year-old Johnny or one-year-old Bruce, she tells her mother all about the bad guys she took down, babbling in both languages excitedly.

* * *

At the beginning Mary Jo's senior year, as practice for her collage essays, her English teacher assigns them one on family. It's so good, Bruce retypes it with the heroes names (as opposed to their secret I.D.'s) and puts it on display at the Hall Of Justice.

The introduction went like this: (A/N: the stuff in parenthesis here means the rewritten version)

_If you look at my family tree, you'd see many great people, like my grandfather Bruce (Batman), or my tati, Richard Grayson (Nightwing). But if you want to see my family, you couldn't just look at who's related to me by blood. I have so many honorary "Aunts" and "Uncles" that I had a hard time keeping them all straight when I was younger. If you checked our DNA, nothing would be in common with most of who I call my "family" but they are the people I feel most at home with, blood ties or not. _

* * *

In college, Mary Jo majors in Computer Science and minors in Drama. Just like her parents, she's a performer at heart. She never gives up heroing, and is known as "Miss Mage" for the rest of her hero career.

* * *

Most of her family (aka, the girls) tear up at her league induction, joining along with Iris, who took up her mother's "Artemis" mantle. And as she looks around, she can't think of a better place to be.

* * *

_Author's note_: Sorry for the wait, I don't know why I had such a hard time with this chapter. Anyway, I know some of you might not be fans of "WonderBat" but I am, so you're gonna have to deal. Reviews are appreciated, but flames will be used to make personal pizzas.


	4. Raquel and Kaldur

_Authors Note_: I know some of you may be expecting Amistad, and I did consider using him, but Hali is the character that came to me for this chapter. Sorry if you were expecting Amistad. This is where the "Could be considered AU" comes in full force. As always, flames will be used to cook personal pizzas.

* * *

Chapter Four: Raquel and Kaldur

She's alone when she finds out. And she's absolutely _terrified. _There are several reasons. One, she only joined the league two months ago and what are they going to say when she needs _maternity leave _at the age of twenty, so soon after joining. Two, she's only a junior in college, not ready for a family.

And the last reason? The father just left. To join his evil father. Kaldur had been distraught over _Tula's _death. The girl who wasn't his girlfriend. The girl who never returned his affections, who chose his _best friend _over him. The girl who wasn't currently carrying his child.

In short, it sucks to be her right now.

* * *

Kaldur is called to a meeting with Nightwing at an old warehouse. When he gets there, he finds his friend in a stressful mood.

"We have to pull you out," he says.

"Why?" Kaldur asks.

"Raquel is pregnant," that's all he says, and Kaldur's world comes crashing down around him. He wants to tear off his armor and run to her side, promise her that everything will be alright.

But he can't.

He can't, and it hits him that even if the mission is successful and the League forgives him, Raquel never will. He's ruined any chance of happiness with her he had. He's abandoned a child, his child. There's no point in pulling him out.

"No," he says, and Nightwing's head whips up, "it is too late to back out now, and I am the only person qualified to do this."

"Kal-"

"No. It is for the best." Nightwing seems to understand after he says this. They exchange intel, and Nightwing turns to leave. Before he can change his mind, Kaldur calls out "Dick!" He turns, not even reprimanding him for use of real names.

"Take care of her." His old friend nods, and they both vanish into the shadows.

* * *

When she tells her friends, there's lots of hugging and congratulations. But there's an underlying current of sadness over the fact that Kaldur is gone and the kid will grow up without him. Dick takes care of telling Batman, which she's grateful for. She also found that the Wayne foundation has decided to pay off her current student loans and pay for the rest of her school. She guesses that's Bat-speak for "Congratulations".

Her family is a different story. Her refusal to give up the baby ends with her family telling her she's no longer welcome at home. She doesn't care. Her almost empty room at the Watchtower or her recently cleaned-out room at the Cave feels more like home than here. It has for years.

* * *

Nightwing keeps him posted on everything going on with Raquel and the pregnancy. He's grateful, and he never stops asking, but it just reminds him that he's there instead of by her side.

He hates his father even more now. Because he abandoned him, wasn't a true father, and now he's doing it to his own child. It makes him feel like he really is becoming him.

He has to find the identity of the Partner. Soon.

* * *

She spends most of her time either doing homework, perusing the real estate ads for an affordable apartment, or reading baby name books.

She made the mistake of asking for help from the girls. They each gave her one, with little tags on their favorites. Some of them are OK, but none scream "perfect".

Whenever it all becomes too much, the stares, the emotions wheeling around her, she escapes to the beach. Looking at the waves always calmed her, but now it's a little melancholy, because looking at them remind her of his absence. But it always makes the baby stop kicking, which is a nice relief. Who ever they are, they're certainly active.

Sometimes, if she looks long enough, the sea gets the exact shade of Kaldur's eyes, so light green, they're almost grey.

* * *

He knows that he should not. But he wants to see her so badly. So, against his better judgement, he slips away to her college one night, just before Artemis is set to join him undercover.

Her room is dark, which makes it easy for him. He climbs silently up the building, slides in through the open window. She's a sound sleeper, always has been, so she doesn't stir as he sits on the bed beside her. He places a hand on her swollen belly, and she shifts a little, but does not wake.

He's not sure how long he sits like that, both wishing she would wake and praying she did not, before the sky begins to lighten and he must leave.

He places the lightest of kisses on her forehead, then departs, like he was never there in the first place.

And later, as she's crying about Artemis' death, she can't shake the feeling he's near.

* * *

It's a rough delivery, but it's over quickly, thank god. She finally gets to hold her daughter. Hali Ervin. She looks just like the baby pictures Raquel's seen of herself, except for her eyes. They're light green, bordering on grey. Her father's eyes.

She gets lots of help from Dick and Zatanna, like she has the whole pregnancy. They help her clean up and change Hali into a little purple onsie with a starfish on it.

That's when her grandmother comes in. Zatanna, bless her, grabs her boyfriend and tells her they're going to wait in the hall. They sit in awkward silence for almost a minute before her grandmother says, "Oh, let me hold my great-grandchild already!"

Raquel complies. It's not an apology from her entire family, but it's a start.

* * *

He knows it's probably not a good idea, but ever since Nightwing gave it to him, he's been carrying around a picture of his daughter. Hali, he muses. He wonders if Raquel knows it means the sea.

He is so close to finding the partner, and he should be pleased. But every moment it takes is one he knows should be spent with his daughter and Raquel, and it will feel like an eternity until he can get down on his knees and beg forgiveness.

* * *

Hali is generally quiet, and she loves it best when her mother or grandmother take her to the beach. Raquel has already found that she can breathe underwater. There's also a little starfish mobile above her crib that can entertain her for hours. At any one time, there's usually a member of the Team, League or her grandmother present. It makes the little apartment feel crowded sometimes, but there's always a feeling of emptiness, no matter who's there, because Kaldur isn't around.

* * *

Everything comes to a head when Hali is six months old. After the battle royal between the invaders/Light is over, and Kaldur and Artemis are revealed to have been moles, they are all at the Watchtower, tending injuries or just rejoicing in being alive. She knows she shouldn't have, but she had hidden Hali there before the battle. It was the only safe place. They ignored all the satellites, Watchtower included, in the attack. A mother will do anything for their child.

Kaldur wants nothing more than to run to Raquel's side, beg her to forgive him, to let him be a part of their daughter's life, but just like before, he can't.

Because he must pay his respects to his king, who readily forgives him.

Because he, Wally, Artemis, and Nightwing must listen to Batman outlining their punishment (suspension with questioning).

Because he must be treated for a wound in his side from his father.

Because he's scared.

But he works up the courage, and finds himself standing outside her door. He lifts his hand, and knocks. She doesn't answer right away, but when she opens the door and sees him, she just stands aside wordlessly. He enters. She sits on the bed, and he joins her. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Raquel-"

"No. Your going to listen first. You hurt me, Kaldur. You broke my heart, left me alone and pregnant, pretended to be evil to infiltrate the Light, didn't tell me. Pretended to kill one of my best friends. Called _Tula _the love of your life. And if you ask for my forgiveness, I'm going to cry. Because no matter what you did, I couldn't stop loving you, couldn't hate you. I still can't. But I need to _know_, Kaldur. I need to know that you're in it for the long haul this time, that you're going to be there for me and Hali. Or you should just walk out right now."

He doesn't say a word at first, just puts his arm around her and kisses the top of her head.

"I promise, Raquel. I'll be here with you for the rest of my life. Tula was like a sister to me; but I could never have loved her like I do you."

She does cry a little, but they're happy tears this time, and she can't help but remember how much she loves having her head on his shoulder as he strokes her hair.

Then Hali cries, and he stands up, reaching into the bassinet that he hadn't noticed before, picking up his daughter for the first time. She quiets instantly, the exact shade of green meeting in their eyes. There's a few tears in his own eyes, but that's allowed. He sits back down, and Raquel takes Hali, while he slips his arms around her, holding his family so nothing will ever touch them again.

* * *

The next few months are a blur for both of them. Kaldur is questioned about the mission extensively, not to mention a third degree from Nana Ervin about where's he's been. He also is returning to his Aqualad duties, and preparing to be inducted into the League (With the other members of the original Team, now that all the "unfinished business" is taken care of). Raquel is starting her senior year of college and balancing League and Mother duties as well. They're lucky Hali doesn't fuss often.

But if you asked, both would say that this is the happiest they've ever been. No sarcasm at all. Even when they're so exhausted they fall into bed without so much as a "good night", being together and _alive _with hope for the future is such a relief.

* * *

Almost the entire League plus the Team shows up to her graduation, standing with Kaldur, Nana Ervin and Hali as Raquel accepts her diploma. Her parents show up while everyone is taking pictures and the younger members are having a "who-can-make-Hali-laugh-hardest-with-their-silly-face" competition. It's a little (very) awkward when they expected to be her only family there, and find her with a different kind of family. They take a few pictures with them, then leave. They don't even look at Hali or Kaldur.

But they're forgotten as Kaldur kneels down and proposes. In Atlantis, they propose with necklaces, but he got her a ring as well.

It's a good thing M'Gann's holding Hali, because Raquel throws her arms around Kaldur when he asks.

* * *

Hali's toddling at eighteen months, and swimming only two months later. She's also talking a lot, about her best friend Lian, who comes over with Roy all the time, or about the new things she sees when Kaldur takes her swimming. Raquel is writing her first book, and sometimes Kaldur finds her passed out with her notebook in Hali's room, sitting in the old rocker.

But it's all worth it. The book is an instant hit, topping the best seller list for two straight weeks. They use the money to move into a modest house on the shore, and Hali absolutely _loves _it. She spends most of her day by the shore now, looking for seashells or splashing in the ocean. The new neighbors are kind, and there are a few small children in the neighborhood for Hali to play with.

* * *

When she starts school, she comes home chattering about how her teacher wants them to hatch turtle eggs and there's one for each of them and she's naming her's Kevin. She's becoming more like her mother in nature, unafraid and eager to take on the world. The refrigerator is covered in her artwork, as is her great-grandmother's. They've never really reconciled with her parents, but they send Christmas and Birthday cards.

* * *

She's a little older than most of the original Teams kids, but she fits right in at the Annual Justice League Picnic, and Lian, her best friend, is the same age. As they run around playing something resembling a superhero version of tag with the other kids, Kaldur and Raquel sit on a bench, arms around each other. He became Aquaman last month, and it's been crazy, just like it is now. But it's the good kind of crazy.

* * *

At ten, a little early, she starts studying under Queen Mera at the Conservatory. She comes home on the weekends, and chatters excitedly in both Atlantian and English about the new moves she's learned. Mera sends progress reports, and after only a few months Hali's at a level that most students don't reach until well into their second year. "Her drive, passion and ability do you proud" Mera writes.

They already knew that.

* * *

Her tattoos are already fading eighteen months after she gets them, and Kaldur and Raquel are glad. Explaining why their eleven-year old daughter has tattoos that cascade down her arms isn't exactly a picnic. Neither is explaining why she's only there on the weekends.

The neighbors must think that they're crazy.

* * *

She passes her mastery exam with flying colors (swimming colors?). At 13 years old, she is the youngest master sorceress ever in Atlantis. Now that she's done with her studies at the conservatory, she begs her father to become his protegѐ. He agrees reluctantly. When fellow hero Tempest, his old friend Garth, hears about this he suggests that it may be time to pull out the old mantle of "Aquagirl".

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure, old friend. It's what she would want," Garth replies.

When Aquagirl debuts a month later, he makes sure she knows the story of the first one.

* * *

She graduates 5th in her class from Seaview High School. Hali is planning on majoring in Marine Biology at Berkley. Raquel tears up a little bit, especially when her daughter walks across the stage. The rest of the old Team is there, as well as Hali's Team, and they have so many pictures at the end of the day that they actually manage to fill up the digital camera.

* * *

Her League induction is only two years after that, and it all goes a little too fast for Raquel. Kaldur is the one who hands her the identification card at the ceremony, the pride in his eyes clear as day.

Later at the party, there's much more hugging of "aunts" and "uncles" and watching which of the six speedsters in the room can eat all the food fastest. But Raquel loves the part where they jokingly put up a baby picture and her now up on the screen. It shows just how far she's come.


End file.
